The Tahoe Village

I always thought the photos of the Tahoe Village were cool, especially its distinctive rounded shape and numerous windows that invite curiosity and admiration, making you imagine watching the snow with a beer after your shift. The building had several names from its inception in 1945, including Tahoe Village, financed by Mickey Wood. Bert Riddick was one of the casino owners, along with Skoff in 1946 and 1947, Elkins in 1948, and then Babe Arata and Walter Parman took a shot. No pun intended, but the L. M. Straus also took a shot, but that was with an actual gun, at his partner Harry Sherwood. That story takes a bit more detail.

The club had a small motel next door for its visitors, and the casino itself was in that circular area with the bar. The windows actually had a direct view of Lake Tahoe at South Shore.

Walter Parman (as mentioned in The Roots of Reno) was busy with Reno clubs, so he gave up his interest as casino manager to Lou Watters, who renamed it Casino de Paris and brought Parisian entertainment, including beautiful cancan girls, to the small nightclub. This highlights the lively and notable events that shaped Tahoe Village’s entertainment legacy, inspiring pride in its colorful past.

Frank Sinatra appeared at the request of Sammy Sellette, but his performance was flat, and the crowd heckled him. He was so incensed that he never appeared at the lake again until purchasing an interest in the Cal-Neva Lodge six years later.

In 1955, Oliver M. Kahle and Ben Jaffe bought the club and renamed it Oliver’s, upgrading the motel with a large lake-view pool. Despite efforts to rebuild the profitable casino, a devastating fire in 1963 destroyed much of the structure, leading Kahle to sell the land to Douglas County and return to Las Vegas, where he operated The Castaway’s until Howard Hughes acquired the property.

Thanks for reading – Al W Moe